Ask a Bible Question
Hello
Dan!
Your
question is, "Why do most Baptist churches
teach 'all
people are born sinful, and must be born again from the heart by faith.' then
in the next breath say that all babies that die go to heaven? "
It's
because the Bible teaches both thoughts.
Let
me explain it this way:
Every
human is a sinner from birth. But every sinner is not held responsible
for their sins until they are able to choose right or wrong, which can happen
early in life (like 4 or 5 years old, or later, like 10 or 12 years old). Some
people (down's syndrome children) probably never understand right and wrong,
so they are not accountable for their wrong-doing.
The
issue is, if I come into a country that I have never been to before, and
am arrested for walking on the left side of the road, when in that country it
is illegal to walk on the left side of the road (this is just an example), my
lawyer will plead my ignorance - I cannot be held accountable for what I
don't know to be wrong. Children, and some retarded people don't know what is
right or wrong - they are still sinners, they still do wrong, but don't know
it, and are therefore SAFE from punishment.
When
people are made aware of it being wrong, and they still choose to go ahead and
do the wrong, they then become responsible for their sin and need Jesus to
pay-off that sin.
It
actually gets more wonderful than that - Jesus pays off the sins of everybody,
whether they knew about Him or not. All people need to do is accept His
payment as all they need to be forgiven, and from that moment on, are born
again. If they don't, then they remain guilty sinners, and will face God's
wrath (Jn 3:18).
Back
to my illustration story of walking on the wrong side of the road. Say you and
I are just arriving into a country, and we are handed a book explaining the
rules of the country (what's right, and what's wrong), and you read it and
attempt to live by it, and I ignore it and throw it away.
If
you walk on the wrong side of the road, it is wilful disobedience - you are a
lawbreaker - a sinner. If I walk on the wrong side of the road, and then try
and claim ignorance, I am found out that I didn't care to read the law book, I
too am a lawbreaker by default, and therefore a sinner. Both of us are in
trouble with the law, and need an advocate (defence attorney), and some money
to pay for our crime.
Can
you see that most people in the world are like the two of us in the story.
Beside them, there are children, and mentally retarded people who are SAFE
from punishment simply because they cannot be held accountable for their
actions.
I
hope this helps.
Craig
Ledbetter